U.S. patent application number 15/628066 was filed with the patent office on 2017-12-21 for cooled fan for micro-climate control.
The applicant listed for this patent is Phononic Devices, Inc.. Invention is credited to Jesse W. Edwards, Erik P. Miller, Devon Newman.
Application Number | 20170363307 15/628066 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59258395 |
Filed Date | 2017-12-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170363307 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Edwards; Jesse W. ; et
al. |
December 21, 2017 |
COOLED FAN FOR MICRO-CLIMATE CONTROL
Abstract
A micro-climate control system includes a thermoelectric system
integrated with a fan assembly. The thermoelectric system is
operable to actively cool or heat air as the air passes through the
fan assembly. The thermoelectric system includes a thermoelectric
heat pump, a heat reject subsystem, and a heat accept subsystem.
The fan assembly is operable to draw air from a space to be
conditioned and output conditioned air passed through one of the
heat reject subsystem and the heat accept subsystem to the space to
be conditioned and output air passed through the other away from
the space to be conditioned. In this way, the micro-climate control
system may provide localized comfort, while allowing a larger
climate control system to maintain a more efficient temperature set
point. In this way, the overall energy consumption may be reduced
while providing the same level of effective comfort.
Inventors: |
Edwards; Jesse W.; (Wake
Forest, NC) ; Newman; Devon; (Morrisville, NC)
; Miller; Erik P.; (Fuquay Varina, NC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Phononic Devices, Inc. |
Durham |
NC |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
59258395 |
Appl. No.: |
15/628066 |
Filed: |
June 20, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62352283 |
Jun 20, 2016 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24F 5/0042 20130101;
F24F 2203/104 20130101; Y02B 30/52 20130101; F25B 21/02 20130101;
Y02B 30/56 20130101; F24F 12/003 20130101; F24F 1/0022 20130101;
F24F 1/0059 20130101; Y02B 30/563 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F24F 5/00 20060101
F24F005/00 |
Claims
1. A micro-climate control system, comprising: a fan assembly; and
a thermoelectric system integrated with the fan assembly and being
operable to actively cool or heat air as the air passes through the
fan assembly, the thermoelectric system comprising: a
thermoelectric heat pump; a heat reject subsystem; and a heat
accept subsystem; wherein the fan assembly is operable to: draw air
from a space to be conditioned; output conditioned air passed
through one of the heat reject subsystem and the heat accept
subsystem to the space to be conditioned; and output air passed
through the other one of the heat reject subsystem and the heat
accept subsystem away from the space to be conditioned.
2. The micro-climate control system of claim 1 wherein: at least
one of the heat reject subsystem and the heat accept subsystem
comprises a radial heat exchanger.
3. The micro-climate control system of claim 2 wherein: the heat
reject subsystem comprises the radial heat exchanger; and the heat
accept subsystem comprises the radial heat exchanger.
4. The micro-climate control system of claim 1 wherein: the
thermoelectric system is operable to cool the space to be
conditioned; the fan assembly is operable to output the conditioned
air passed through the heat accept subsystem to the space to be
conditioned; and the fan assembly is operable to output the air
passed through the heat reject subsystem away from the space to be
conditioned.
5. The micro-climate control system of claim 1 wherein: the
thermoelectric system is operable to heat the space to be
conditioned; the fan assembly is operable to output the conditioned
air passed through the heat reject subsystem to the space to be
conditioned; and the fan assembly is operable to output the air
passed through the heat accept subsystem away from the space to be
conditioned.
6. The micro-climate control system of claim 1 further comprising a
shroud placed around the heat reject subsystem and the heat accept
subsystem which separates the conditioned and reject airflow from
each other and directs each airflow.
7. The micro-climate control system of claim 6 wherein the shroud
directs the reject airflow upwards and directs the conditioned
airflow downwards such that the system could be mounted
horizontally such as in a ceiling.
8. The micro-climate control system of claim 7 wherein there is
unused space above the ceiling where the reject air can
accumulate.
9. The micro-climate control system of claim 1 wherein the fan
assembly comprises a plurality of blades.
10. The micro-climate control system of claim 9 wherein the fan
assembly further comprises a housing, wherein the heat pump is
comprised in the housing.
11. The micro-climate control system of claim 1 wherein: the fan
assembly is an impeller-based fan assembly comprising a plurality
of rotating discs that operate as impellers that draw air and then
propel the air radially outward from the plurality of rotating
discs.
12. The micro-climate control system of claim 11 wherein outer
edges of the plurality of rotating discs are structured to direct
the air that is propelled radially outward from the plurality of
rotating discs at a downward angle.
13. The micro-climate control system of claim 1 wherein: the fan
assembly is a centrifugal fan assembly comprising a plurality of
vertical impellers, an air inlet, and an air outlet, the plurality
of vertical impellers operable to rotate around the air inlet to
draw the air into the air inlet and blow the air out of the air
outlet.
14. The micro-climate control system of claim 1 wherein the
thermoelectric heat pump comprises: a surround and spacer (SAS)
structure comprising a wall defining a first open side and a second
open side; an interconnect board enclosed within the SAS structure,
the interconnect board comprising one or more openings from a first
surface of the interconnect board to a second surface of the
interconnect board, the one or more openings defining locations at
which a plurality of thermoelectric modules are to be mounted on
the interconnect board; the plurality of thermoelectric modules
mounted on the interconnect board at the locations defined by the
one or more openings, each thermoelectric module of the plurality
of thermoelectric modules having a first side and a second side; a
hot-side heat spreader that is in thermal contact with the first
side of each thermoelectric module of the plurality of
thermoelectric modules; and a cold-side heat spreader that is in
thermal contact with the second side of each thermoelectric module
of the plurality of thermoelectric modules; wherein a periphery of
the hot-side heat spreader mechanically contacts the wall of the
SAS structure at the first open side, and a periphery of the
cold-side heat spreader mechanically contacts the wall of the SAS
structure at the second open side such that a compression force
applied to the heat pump is absorbed by the SAS structure.
15. The micro-climate control system of claim 14 wherein the
thermoelectric heat pump further comprises an environmental seal
located where the periphery of the hot-side heat spreader
mechanically contacts the wall of the SAS structure and where the
periphery of the cold-side heat spreader mechanically contacts the
wall of the SAS structure.
16. The micro-climate control system of claim 14 wherein a
thickness of the wall of the SAS structure is such that a thermal
short between the hot-side heat spreader and the cold-side heat
spreader is mitigated while providing sufficient strength to
withstand at least a predefined amount of a compression force
applied to the heat pump.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent
application Ser. No. 62/352,283, filed Jun. 20, 2016, the
disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in
its entirety.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to fans and more
particularly relates to micro-climate control.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Traditional systems used to pump heat to and from a room to
reduce or increase air temperature have several shortcomings. In
particular, they become inefficient at smaller capacities, they
generate an uncomfortable level of noise in occupied spaces from
the mechanical components, they can be cumbersome and even
dangerous to install, they often require dedicated electrical power
outlets to manage surge loads, and they often use toxic and
environmentally harmful refrigerants to provide heat pumping.
[0004] A common alternative to these traditional systems is to
simply use a basic fan (e.g., a ceiling fan or a standing fan). A
typical fan can provide an apparent and virtually silent
improvement in comfort level derived from either the enhancement of
the body's natural cooling system or increase in the delivery rate
of warmed air to a user of the fan. This effect is provided simply
by the localized increase in the mass flow of air, not by any
reduction or increase in air temperature. In humid climates this
effect is greatly reduced and the apparent relief is largely
eliminated because the air cannot easily absorb any additional
water vapor. In hot, humid environments, when trying to provide a
cooling effect, a fan, at best, simply stirs the hot, moist air
around, ensuring uniform discomfort. At worst, the mechanical and
electrical work done by a fan will actually warm the air being
moved, thereby reversing the desired effectiveness of the appliance
in providing cooling relief to the user. In cold, dry environments,
additional air flow from a fan without a true increase in air
temperature can actually cause the user to feel colder and less
comfortable by the same mechanism that provides the cooling effect
in warmer conditions.
[0005] As such, there remains a need for cooling or heating an
occupied space.
SUMMARY
[0006] A cooled fan for micro-climate control is provided herein.
In some embodiments, a micro-climate control system includes a fan
assembly and a thermoelectric system integrated with the fan
assembly. The thermoelectric system is operable to actively cool or
heat air as the air passes through the fan assembly. The
thermoelectric system includes a thermoelectric heat pump, a heat
reject subsystem, and a heat accept subsystem. The fan assembly is
operable to draw air from a space to be conditioned. The fan
assembly is also operable to output conditioned air passed through
one of the heat reject subsystem and the heat accept subsystem to
the space to be conditioned and output air passed through the other
one of the heat reject subsystem and the heat accept subsystem away
from the space to be conditioned. In this way, conditioned air can
be provided to a localized area with a system that maintains a
small envelope. A micro-climate control system may provide
localized comfort while allowing a larger climate control system to
maintain a more efficient temperature set point. In this way, the
overall energy consumption may be reduced while providing the same
level of effective comfort.
[0007] In some embodiments, at least one of the heat reject
subsystem and the heat accept subsystem includes a radial heat
exchanger. In some embodiments, the heat reject subsystem comprises
a radial heat exchanger and the heat accept subsystem comprises a
radial heat exchanger.
[0008] In some embodiments, the thermoelectric system is operable
to cool the space to be conditioned, the fan assembly is operable
to output conditioned air passed through the heat accept subsystem
to the space to be conditioned, and the fan assembly is operable to
output air passed through the heat reject subsystem away from the
space to be conditioned.
[0009] In some embodiments, the thermoelectric system is operable
to heat the space to be conditioned, the fan assembly is operable
to output conditioned air passed through the heat reject subsystem
to the space to be conditioned, and the fan assembly is operable to
output air passed through the heat accept subsystem away from the
space to be conditioned.
[0010] In some embodiments, the micro-climate control system also
includes a shroud placed around the heat reject subsystem and the
heat accept subsystem which separates the conditioned and reject
airflow from each other and directs each airflow. In some
embodiments, the shroud directs the reject airflow upwards and
directs the conditioned airflow downwards such that the system
could be mounted horizontally such as in a ceiling. In some
embodiments, there is unused space above the ceiling where the
reject air can accumulate.
[0011] In some embodiments, the fan assembly includes a plurality
of blades. In some embodiments, the fan assembly also includes a
housing, wherein the heat pump is comprised in the housing.
[0012] In some embodiments, the fan assembly is an impeller-based
fan assembly including a plurality of rotating discs that operate
as impellers that draw air and then propel the air radially outward
from the plurality of rotating discs. In some embodiments, outer
edges of the plurality of rotating discs are structured to direct
the air that is propelled radially outward from the plurality of
rotating discs at a downward angle.
[0013] In some embodiments, the fan assembly is a centrifugal fan
assembly including a plurality of vertical impellers, an air inlet,
and an air outlet. The vertical impellers operable to rotate around
the air inlet to draw the air into the air inlet and blow the air
out of the air outlet.
[0014] In some embodiments, the thermoelectric heat pump includes a
surround and spacer (SAS) structure comprising a wall defining a
first open side and a second open side, an interconnect board
enclosed within the SAS structure, the interconnect board
comprising one or more openings from a first surface of the
interconnect board to a second surface of the interconnect board,
the one or more openings defining locations at which a plurality of
thermoelectric modules are to be mounted on the interconnect board,
and the plurality of thermoelectric modules mounted on the
interconnect board at the locations defined by the one or more
openings, each thermoelectric module of the plurality of
thermoelectric modules having a first side and a second side. The
thermoelectric heat pump also includes a hot-side heat spreader
that is in thermal contact with the first side of each
thermoelectric module of the plurality of thermoelectric modules
and a cold-side heat spreader that is in thermal contact with the
second side of each thermoelectric module of the plurality of
thermoelectric modules. A periphery of the hot-side heat spreader
mechanically contacts the wall of the SAS structure at the first
open side, and a periphery of the cold-side heat spreader
mechanically contacts the wall of the SAS structure at the second
open side such that a compression force applied to the heat pump is
absorbed by the SAS structure.
[0015] In some embodiments, the thermoelectric heat pump also
includes an environmental seal located where the periphery of the
hot-side heat spreader mechanically contacts the wall of the SAS
structure and where the periphery of the cold-side heat spreader
mechanically contacts the wall of the SAS structure.
[0016] In some embodiments, a thickness of the wall of the SAS
structure is such that a thermal short between the hot-side heat
spreader and the cold-side heat spreader is mitigated while
providing sufficient strength to withstand at least a predefined
amount of a compression force applied to the heat pump.
[0017] Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the
present disclosure and realize additional aspects thereof after
reading the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiments in association with the accompanying drawing
figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
[0018] The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming
a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the
disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the
principles of the disclosure.
[0019] FIG. 1A illustrates the front of a micro-climate control
system including a fan assembly and an active heat pumping system
integrated with the fan assembly, according to some embodiments of
the present disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 1B illustrates the back of the micro-climate control
system of FIG. 1A, according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates a thermoelectric system of the
micro-climate control system of FIGS. 1A and 1B, according to some
embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 3 illustrates an expanded view of the micro-climate
control system of FIGS. 1A and 1B including the thermoelectric
system of FIG. 2, according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary
information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the
embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the
embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the
accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will
understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize
applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein.
It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall
within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims.
[0024] It will be understood that, although the terms first,
second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these
elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only
used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first
element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second
element could be termed a first element, without departing from the
scope of the present disclosure. As used herein, the term "and/or"
includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated
listed items.
[0025] Relative terms such as "below" or "above" or "upper" or
"lower" or "horizontal" or "vertical" may be used herein to
describe a relationship of one element, layer, or region to another
element, layer, or region as illustrated in the Figures. It will be
understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended
to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to
the orientation depicted in the Figures.
[0026] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of
the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and
"the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood
that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and/or
"including" when used herein specify the presence of stated
features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components,
but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other
features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or
groups thereof.
[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and
scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this
disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used
herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent
with their meaning in the context of this specification and the
relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly
formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0028] A cooled fan for micro-climate control is provided herein.
In some embodiments, a micro-climate control system includes a fan
assembly and a thermoelectric system integrated with the fan
assembly. The thermoelectric system is operable to actively cool or
heat air as the air passes through the fan assembly. The
thermoelectric system includes a thermoelectric heat pump, a heat
reject subsystem, and a heat accept subsystem. The fan assembly is
operable to draw air from a space to be conditioned. The fan
assembly is also operable to output conditioned air passed through
one of the heat reject subsystem and the heat accept subsystem to
the space to be conditioned and output air passed through the other
one of the heat reject subsystem and the heat accept subsystem away
from the space to be conditioned. In this way, conditioned air can
be provided to a localized area with a system that maintains a
small envelope. A micro-climate control system may provide
localized comfort while allowing a larger climate control system to
maintain a more efficient temperature set point. In this way, the
overall energy consumption may be reduced while providing the same
level of effective comfort.
[0029] In some embodiments, this system could be mounted vertically
on a wall to provide local conditioned air. With changes to the
shroud, the system could also be mounted horizontally in a ceiling.
This setup would be especially useful when there is unused space
above the ceiling where the reject air can accumulate. In these
embodiments, the system could provide conditioned air to a
room.
[0030] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate one example of a fan assembly 10
including a thermoelectric system 12 and a fan assembly 14
according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In this
example, the thermoelectric system 12 is a thermoelectric cooling
system. When rotating, the fan assembly 14 draws air into the fan
assembly 10 through a central port and blows the air out of both a
reject port and a conditioned air port, as illustrated. The air
that flows through the central port and out of the reject port
passes over a heat reject subsystem (see element 18 of FIG. 2). The
air that flows through the central port and out of the reject port
passes over a heat accept subsystem (see element 20 of FIG. 2) such
that air that is blown out of the conditioned air port is
cooled.
[0031] FIG. 2 illustrates the thermoelectric system 12 in more
detail according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As
illustrated, the thermoelectric system 12 includes a thermoelectric
heat pump 16, a heat reject subsystem 18, and a heat accept
subsystem 20. The thermoelectric heat pump 16 generally includes
one or more thermoelectric modules. One example of the
thermoelectric heat pump 16 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,144,180
B2, entitled THERMOELECTRIC HEAT PUMP WITH A SURROUND AND SPACER
(SAS) STRUCTURE, which issued Sep. 22, 2015 and is incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety and is attached hereto as
Appendix A. Note that the thermoelectric heat pump 12 of U.S. Pat.
No. 9,144,180 B2 is only one example. Any thermoelectric heat pump
may be used.
[0032] One example of such a heat pump includes a SAS structure.
The SAS structure includes a wall defining a first open side and a
second open side. The heat pump also includes an interconnect board
enclosed within the SAS structure. The interconnect board includes
openings from a first surface of the interconnect board to a second
surface of the interconnect board where the openings define
locations at which thermoelectric modules (TEMs) are to be mounted
on the interconnect board. TEMs are mounted on the interconnect
board at the locations defined by the openings. Each thermoelectric
module has a first side and a second side. The heat pump
additionally includes a hot-side heat spreader that is in thermal
contact with the first side of each thermoelectric module and a
cold-side heat spreader that is in thermal contact with the second
side of each thermoelectric module. The periphery of the hot-side
heat spreader mechanically contacts the wall of the SAS structure
at the first open side, and the periphery of the cold-side heat
spreader mechanically contacts the wall of the SAS structure at the
second open side. A compression force applied to the heat pump is
absorbed by the SAS structure and, as such, the TEMs are protected
from the compression force.
[0033] A thermoelectric system is well suited for integration into
a fan for micro-climate control. Some advantages include the small
form factor and the ability to do both heating and cooling. In some
embodiments, the micro-climate control system will have a separate
heat exchanger for the hot and cold side of the thermoelectric
system. Airflow for each heat exchanger will come from the space
being conditioned. The output of the system will be conditioned air
directed towards the space, and the reject air will be directed
away from the space.
[0034] Returning to FIG. 2, the heat reject subsystem 18 includes,
in this example, a heat exchanger 22 thermally coupled to a fin
structure 24 via a plurality of thermosiphons 26. The thermosiphons
26 contain a coolant and provide two-phase heat exchange between a
hot side of the thermoelectric heat pump 16 (via the heat exchanger
22) and the air being blown across the fin structure 24. In
particular, the coolant is evaporated in the heat exchanger 22. The
evaporated coolant flows through the thermosiphons 26 via buoyancy
forces. The fin structure 24 provides heat exchange between
evaporated coolant in the thermosiphons 26 and the air such that
the coolant is condensed and the air is heated. The heated air is
blown out of the reject port of the fan assembly 10 (see FIG. 1A),
and the condensed coolant returns to the heat exchanger 22 via
gravity forces that operate to cool a first side of the
thermoelectric heat pump 16 and reject heat.
[0035] The heat accept subsystem 20 includes, in this example, a
heat exchanger 28 thermally coupled to a fin structure 30 via a
plurality of thermosiphons 32. The thermosiphons 32 contain a
coolant and provide two-phase heat exchange between a cold side of
the thermoelectric heat pump 16 (via the heat exchanger 28) and the
air being blown across the fin structure 30. In particular, the
coolant is condensed in the heat exchanger 28. The condensed
coolant flows through the thermosiphons 32 via gravity forces. The
fin structure 30 provides heat exchange between condensed coolant
in the thermosiphons 32 and the air such that the coolant is
evaporated and the air is cooled. The cooled air is blown out of
the conditioned air port of the fan assembly 10 (see FIG. 1A), and
the evaporated coolant returns to the heat exchanger 28 via
buoyancy forces.
[0036] In some embodiments, the micro-climate control system
includes a set of radial heat exchangers. A centrifugal fan at the
center of the micro-climate control system will pull air into the
heat exchangers. A shroud is placed around the heat exchangers
which separates the conditioned and reject airflow from each other
and directs each airflow.
[0037] FIG. 3 is an expanded view of the fan assembly 10 of FIGS.
1A and 1B including the thermoelectric system 12 of FIG. 2. As
illustrated, the fan assembly 10, in this example, includes an
upper housing portion 34, a bracket 36, and a lower housing portion
38 that form a housing of the fan assembly 10. The thermoelectric
system 12 and the fan assembly 14 are secured within the housing.
In some embodiments, the fan assembly 14 is an impeller-based fan
assembly comprising multiple rotating discs that operate as
horizontal impellers that draw air from the occupied space cooled
or heated by the micro-climate control system into a central region
of the rotating discs and then propels the air radially outward
from the rotating discs. The active heat pumping system is operable
to cool or heat the air as the air is drawn into the central region
of the rotating discs. In some embodiments, outer edges of the
rotating discs are structured to direct the air that is propelled
radially outward from the rotating discs.
[0038] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and
modifications to the preferred embodiments of the present
disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered
within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein and the claims
that follow.
* * * * *